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Original poster

Why do perfectly intelligent people not put their children in car seats/seat belts?

59 replies

BigBellyCornflakeKid · 15/01/2007 14:21

I dropped my son at playgroup this morning and another mum pulled up with her twins (age 3) roaming freely around the car It is only 1/2 mile from her house - but what goes through your head when you put them in your car and not strap them in? There were car seats in the car but they weren't in them

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Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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100PerCentCod · 15/01/2007 14:21

cos she is a nob

misdee · 15/01/2007 14:22

cos she is an idiot really.

kittypants · 15/01/2007 14:22

hate people who do that!i was told most road accidents happen within a 5 mile radius of home.

alittlebitshy · 15/01/2007 14:22

makes me so

asleep · 15/01/2007 14:23

there is a mum at our school with a two seater smart car. she and her DD sit in the front and 5y old DS sits in the boot!

Blu · 15/01/2007 14:23

Perfect intelligence does not guarantee perfect common sense!

kittypants · 15/01/2007 14:24

omg asleep!really!?

Ladymuck · 15/01/2007 14:24

She may have strpped them in but they may have undone their belts 2 secs before you saw them...

Original poster
BigBellyCornflakeKid · 15/01/2007 14:24

OMG asleep - buy a car that is most likely to get squashed like a bean can then keep one child in the boot

OP posts:
Original poster
BigBellyCornflakeKid · 15/01/2007 14:25

Surely you would stop the car if they took them off - wouldn't you?

OP posts:
frenchleave · 15/01/2007 14:26

Our former neighbour doesn't strap her kids in for the school run either, on the pretext that it's less than a mile. Her 5-year-old stands up in the space between the 2 front seats.

And her DH is a paediatric surgeon!

burstingbug · 15/01/2007 14:27

I work with some top scientists in their field, all obviously very very intelligent, however, not an ounce of common sense in the majority of them. Some think they are above everyone else and rules and laws do not apply to them.

Original poster
BigBellyCornflakeKid · 15/01/2007 14:28

She is a lawyer

OP posts:
Twiglett · 15/01/2007 14:28

agree with cod

nob

no excuse

and why drive such a short trip anyway

wheresthevalium · 15/01/2007 14:29

This really drives me absolutely crazy. I think they have the right idea in the USA, apparently, if the parent is driving and not strapped the kids in, and the kid/s are injured, criminal charges are brought

Really is one of my HUGE bugbears (and I don't have many)

Twinkie1 · 15/01/2007 14:32

WOnder if you can report these people - now it is illegal and all for children not to be restrained!!

As someone whose family was decismated by a car accident it makes my blood boil.

I try and restrain DS most of the time even at home!!

hunkeydorey · 15/01/2007 14:33

It annoys me even more when you realise the parent has safely strapped themselves in, leaving what should be their most precious possessions to take their chances in the event of an accident.

Twinkie1 · 15/01/2007 14:35

Mumsnet could get fake parking type tickets made up whcih could be slapped on cars by mumsnetters!!

mumfor1standfinaltime · 15/01/2007 14:44

Twiglet has hit the nail on the head - why drive a short distance anyway??

Ladymuck · 15/01/2007 14:48

Well on my run there are sections of the road where I judge that it would be more difficult to stop safely and rebelt the children than to continue and finish the journey. But that is assuming that this is a one-off event. If it is a regular occurence then that is different (and frankly they would defintiely be walking!). If I only had 100 yards left of the trip then no, I probably wouldn't stop unless that was where I was going to park anyway.

treacletart · 15/01/2007 14:56

Agree it's total stupidity but can anyone enlighten me? I've recently had to get a cab with DS(3.5) without a car seat. Taxis are exempt from the carseat law. He used a seatbelt but obviously they don't fit well on a little one. It did occur to me that he might feasably be safer minus a belt than wearing an ill-fitting one - does anyone know?

mumfor1standfinaltime · 15/01/2007 15:00

Was it a black cab? (Hackney)
I think these were only cabs which were exempt.

Ladymuck · 15/01/2007 15:00

AFAIK an ill-fitting one is still better than none, but would avoid anything resting on the neck. You can be damaged from a ill-fitting belt, but if the collision that that bad, then I suspect you would incur more damage without.

treacletart · 15/01/2007 15:10

mumfor1st - all taxis are indeed exempt, not just London style cabs. Incidently, a Hackney cab is a taxi (any model I believe) that can ply for trade on the streets and be flagged down rather than one that has to be pre-booked.

LRWG · 15/01/2007 15:13

Agree with hunkeydorey - drives me even crazier when the adults are strapped in, but the children not!!